Melissa Cheyney

Dr. Melissa Cheyney began her journey to midwifery as a graduate student in anthropology. She focused on bioarchaeology – a cultural-historical approach, which uses human remains to understand health conditions of the past. As she moved on to PhD work, her interests shifted, not only to the living, but to birth itself. She currently teaches medical anthropology and reproductive biology at the University of Oregon and attends births as a Licensed Direct-Entry midwife. Melissa is an advocate for better communication and working relationships between midwives and the medical community. She believes that midwives “hold the key to to national health care reforms that can begin to reverse current trends toward increasing costs and declining outcomes.” She chairs the Oregon Governor’s board of Direct-Entry Midwifery, is the Vice President of Doulas Supporting Teens, and a member of the Coordinating Committee for MANA’s Division of Research. Here’s Melissa’s Huff Post article about home births: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-cheyney/post_812_b_709215.html.

Midwife of the Week posts, written by Sirene-Rose Lipschutz, originate on FoMM’s Facebook page and are archived here on our website for your continued enjoyment!